Elliott discloses 5.1 percent stake in UK software firm Micro Focus

FILE PHOTO: A sign stands outside the offices of Micro Focus after they and Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co announced that Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co will spin off and merge its non-core software assets with Britain's Micro Focus International in a deal worth $8.8 billion, in Newbury, Britain, September 8, 2016. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

The news comes about two weeks after Bloomberg reported that Elliott, the New York hedge fund run by billionaire Paul Singer, had built a position in Micro Focus and plans to push for changes at the company.

Private equity firms could be interested in all or parts of Micro Focus and some buyout firms have crunched the numbers and spoken to banks about the feasibility of a deal, Bloomberg reported then, adding that no formal talks between the company and potential buyers were underway.

Micro Focus shares jumped as much as 12 percent after the Bloomberg report. The shares had been pummelled by a sales warning and its CEO’s departure on March 19.